Ashley Earley Joins Tide Women?s Basketball as Graduate Assistant
5/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA ?? Ashley Earley, a former star at Vanderbilt, will join her former teammate Ashley McElhiney as a member of the Alabama women’s basketball staff. Earley, who ended her Commodore career in 2005, will be the Tide’s graduate assistant coach, head coach Stephany Smith announced today.
“I felt like Ashley was an absolute steal for our program,” Smith said. “It is rare to be able to get somebody of her quality in a position like this and I am extremely happy to add her to our staff. I know that Ashley, having just ended an SEC career herself, will serve as a tremendous mentor and role model to our players.”
Earley will join Smith’s staff after a highly successful prep and collegiate career.
“I’ve known Coach Smith for a long time, dating back to when she was at Middle Tennessee,” Earley said. “This is a great opportunity for me and I am really excited to be here. I am looking forward to learning from this staff, both on and off the court, and am eager to help the team any way I can next season.”
Earley, who starred at Briar Crest High School in Memphis, was one of the nation’s best players in her prep career. She led her team to two state titles and two state runner-up finishes in her four years at the high school level. Earley was recognized nationally for her talents, earning spots on the Parade and USA Today All-American teams while earning Tennessee All-State honors as well as all-city honors in her illustrious career.
While at Vanderbilt, Earley became one of the best players in the SEC while playing on some highly successful Commodore units. During her career at Vandy, her teams went 102-33 and earned four consecutive NCAA berths.
In her freshman season, Earley teamed with current Tide director of basketball operations McElhiney to bring home the SEC Tournament title to Nashville. That team advanced to the Regional Finals of the NCAA Tournament before bowing out to Tennessee. The Commodores went to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Earley’s sophomore season and advanced to the Regional Semifinals in each of her final two seasons.
Earley ended her career 15th in career scoring at Vanderbilt with 1,382 career points. She was in the school’s top 10 charts in rebounding, finishing with 811 while leading the team on the boards in her last two seasons. Earley finished fourth in school history in field goal percentage (.578) and led the team in both scoring and rebounding in her senior season after scoring 18.4 points and grabbing 9.4 rebounds per game.
The 5-10 forward earned first team All-SEC honors from the coaches and the Associated Press in her senior season, as well as being a candidate for the John Wooden and Naismith Player of the Year awards. She was a Kodak/WBCA All-Region selection as a senior.
Earley, who graduated from Vanderbilt with a psychology degree, was drafted by the Indiana Fever of the WNBA following the end of her college career. After being waived, she played last season overseas in Israel. She was recently invited to attend the camp of the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
The daughter of Lee and Linda Earley, she has one sister, Katrina, 33. She is single and will soon reside in Tuscaloosa.
